JPH021520B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Application of the Invention] The present invention relates to a clothes dryer, and more particularly to a clothes dryer that detects the degree of dryness of clothes in a rotating drum and stops its operation based on the detected degree of dryness.

[Background of the invention]

Conventionally, the degree of dryness of clothes stored in a rotating drum has been detected by detecting the electrical resistance value of the clothes, or by detecting the temperature of the warm air supplied to the rotating drum and the exhaust gas discharged from the drum. Some methods have been proposed that detect the temperature based on the difference, and others detect the humidity of the exhaust air. Then, after detecting that the degree of dryness of the clothes has reached a set value, the operation is automatically stopped.

However, while these conventional clothes dryers have the advantage of being able to achieve a constant degree of dryness regardless of the amount of clothes or the fabric, they are difficult to predict the time required for drying. In some places, there was no indication of the required driving time or the progress of drying. Therefore, there was an inconvenience in that during operation, it was difficult to know how much time the drying process would have to be completed.

[Purpose of the invention]

It is an object of the present invention to eliminate the drawbacks of the prior art described above and to enable the progress of drying to be known during operation.

[Summary of the invention]

In the present invention, the drying process of clothes is generally an initial process,
Considering that the process is divided into three processes: the main drying process and the finishing process, the first display section operates to display the display for at least a set time after the start of operation, and displays the display until the degree of dryness reaches the set value after the set time elapses. a second display section that is operated; a third display section that is operated to display a set time after the degree of dryness reaches a set value;
By providing a display device that shows the progress of the drying process, the progress of the drying process can be seen during operation. More specifically, the invention of the present application includes a rotating drum in which clothes are stored, a blower device that supplies warm air to the rotating drum, a dryness degree detector that detects the degree of dryness of the clothes, and a dryness degree detector that detects the degree of dryness of the clothes. A control circuit consisting of a microcomputer etc. that takes in the detection signal of the clothes dryer and controls the operation of the clothes dryer, and a drying mode that can select a drying mode with a desired degree of dryness and inputs the selected drying mode value to the control circuit. In a clothes dryer consisting of a mode selection circuit and a display device that displays the operating progress of the clothes dryer according to instructions from the control circuit, the display device includes a first display section that displays the initial process of drying, and a main display section that displays the initial process of drying. A second display section that displays the main drying process and a third display section that displays the dry finishing process.
The display section is divided into sections and is controlled by the control circuit so that the display changes in the order of the first display section, the second display section, and the third display section according to the operating progress of the clothes dryer, Furthermore, the first display section is
After the start of operation, at least a set time is displayed, and after the time spent on the first display has elapsed, the second display is turned off, and the second display indicates that the degree of dryness has been detected by the dryness detector. , is carried out until the drying degree value of the drying mode selected by the drying mode selection circuit is reached, and after this, the third display section displays,
This third display section is characterized in that it is controlled by the control circuit so that a set time is displayed.

For example, FIG. 1 shows an example of a drying process of a clothes dryer that is automatically operated based on exhaust humidity.
FIG. 1 shows the humidity change of the drum exhaust, with the horizontal axis representing the operating time and the vertical axis representing the exhaust humidity. As shown in the figure, the drying process can be roughly divided into three parts. That is, the drying process is divided into an initial process from the start of operation until the exhaust humidity becomes almost constant, a main drying process until the exhaust humidity decreases to a desired set humidity as the clothes are dried, and a finishing process thereafter. Practically speaking, the time for the initial process may be considered to be approximately constant, and since the finishing process is a process for improving the feel of clothing, these times can be set in advance. but,
As mentioned above, the time required for the main drying process is difficult to predict because it varies greatly depending on the amount of clothing, the type of fabric, etc.

Therefore, for example, first to third display sections made of display elements such as light emitting diodes are provided corresponding to the three processes, and the first display section corresponding to the initial process is set by a timer etc. from the start of operation. After the set time has elapsed,
The second display section corresponding to the main drying process is heated until the degree of drying reaches a set value, and then the third display section corresponding to the finishing process is heated for a certain period of time set by a timer or the like. Let them
The progress of the drying process can be seen at a glance.

Note that the set time expiration signal on the third display section can be used in common as an operation stop signal. Further, the first and second display sections may be turned off in accordance with process switching as described above, or may be kept lit until the operation is stopped.

[Embodiments of the invention]

The present invention will be described below based on specific examples.

FIGS. 2, 3, 4, and 5 respectively show an overall sectional view, a partial sectional view, an internal back view, and a block diagram of a control circuit of a clothes dryer according to an embodiment of the present invention. show.

In FIG. 2, 1 is an outer frame, 2 is a rotating drum in which clothes to be dried are stored, 3 is a lifter that stirs the clothes in the drum, and 4 is a bearing that supports the front part of the drum. The bearing 4 is formed on the outer periphery of a drum cover 5 fixed to the front surface of the outer frame 1, and the inner peripheral surface of the front plate 2a of the drum 2 is engaged with the bearing so as to slide and rotate. A rear bearing 23 of the drum 2 supports a drum shaft 21 fixed to the drum rear plate 2b. The bearing 23 is fixed to a support member 24, and the support member 24 is fixed to the inside of the rear surface of the outer frame 1. A door port 6 is attached to the outer frame 1 on the inner side of the drum cover 5, and serves as an opening for inserting clothes into the drum 2. A door 7 covering the input slot is attached to the front of the outer frame 1 so as to be openable and closable. A door seal 6a is attached to the door 7 and comes into contact with the door port 6. A semiconductor heater 8 serving as a heat source is provided between the drum cover 5 and the outer frame 1, and a hot air blowing port 9 into the drum 2 is provided in a portion of the drum cover 5 facing the heater 8.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the outer frame 1
A motor 10 is arranged at an inner corner, a drum driving pulley 12 is wedged on a shaft 11 of the motor 10, and a belt 14 is hung between the pulley 12 and the drum 2. 13 is belt 14
This is a tension pulley for. At the other end of the motor shaft 11 are a fan 15 and a pulley 1 that guide cooling air for dehumidifying the circulating air to a heat exchanger to be described later.
7 is wedged, and the pulley 17 drives a fan 16 by means of a belt 22 for circulating air within the drum. The casing 25 of the fan 16 is fixed to the drum support member 24, and the discharge port of the casing 25 is connected to the rear side of the heat exchanger 26 by a connecting duct 27, and the front side of the heat exchanger 26 is connected to the heated side by a connecting duct 28. It is connected to a drum cover 5 equipped with an air blowing port 9, and a circulating air path is formed between the inside of the drum 2 and the heat exchanger 26.

A filter 18 is removably attached to a mounting shaft 20 on the rear plate 2b of the drum 2 in order to collect lint from the clothes being stirred in the drum. 19 is a filter guard that protects the filter 18. 29 is a back cover that covers the back surface of the outer frame 1.

Further, a control circuit section 30 having the configuration shown in FIG. 5 is provided on the upper front part of the outer frame 1, and a humidity detector 31 as a degree of dryness detector is attached to the exhaust outlet of the casing 25.

As shown in FIG. 5, the control circuit section 30 includes a door switch 101, a photocoupler 102 interlocked with the door switch, a power switch 103 interlocked with the door switch 101, and a power circuit 104 that outputs the direct current required for the control circuit. , a waveform shaping circuit 105 that smooths this direct current, and a reset circuit 106 that resets the function of the control circuit section.
, a microcomputer 107, an oscillation circuit 108 that outputs clock pulses, and a humidity detector 3.
1, a comparison circuit 110 that compares the detected humidity with a set value, and a manual operation for selecting a desired degree of dryness and switching settings. A drying mode selection circuit 111 and first to third display sections 1 each including a light emitting diode corresponding to the drying process.
LED display device 112 having 12a and 112c
, buzzer notification circuit 113, motor 10 and No.
It is composed of a load drive circuit 114 that controls the drive of heaters 8 No. 1 to No. 2.

The program of the microcomputer 107 includes a timer unit that measures time based on the output pulse of the oscillation circuit 108, and when a preset time has elapsed, outputs a signal to the LED display device 112 to turn the LED on or off. Switch.

Among the operations of the embodiment configured as described above,
Next, the progress display of the drying process will be mainly explained.

First, when a desired degree of drying is set in the drying mode selection circuit 111, operation is started.
As a result, the LED of the display device 112a is turned on, and at the same time, the microcomputer 107 starts timing the set time set corresponding to the initial process.
made by. When the set time for the initial process expires, the microcomputer 107 turns off the LED 112a and turns on the LED of the second display section 112b corresponding to the main drying process.
During this time, the microcomputer 107 monitors the signal indicating the degree of dryness inputted through the comparison circuit 110, and when the detected degree of dryness, that is, the exhaust humidity reaches the set value, turns off the LED 112b.
of the third display section 112c corresponding to the finishing process.
The LED is turned on and at the same time the set time for the finishing process is measured. When this configured time expires,
The microcomputer 107 is connected to the third display section 112
c is turned off, and further, via the load drive circuit 114, the motor 10 and the No. 1 and No. 2 heaters 8 are stopped, and the operation of the clothes dryer is also stopped.

As mentioned above, according to this embodiment, the progress of the drying process is divided into three stages and displayed sequentially, so the progress of the drying can be seen at a glance, which greatly improves usability. effective.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, the invention of the present application includes a rotating drum in which clothes are stored, a blower device that supplies warm air to the rotating drum, a dryness level detector that detects the dryness level of the clothes, and a dryness level detector that detects the degree of dryness of the clothes. A control circuit consisting of a microcomputer, etc., which takes in the detection signal of the clothes dryer and controls the operation of the clothes dryer, and a drying mode that can select a drying mode with a desired degree of dryness and inputs the selected drying mode value to the control circuit. In a clothes dryer that includes a selection circuit and a display device that displays the operating progress of the clothes dryer according to instructions from a control circuit, the display device includes a first display section that displays the initial process of drying, and a main display section that displays the initial process of drying. A second display section that displays the drying process and a third display section that displays the finishing process of the drying finish are configured separately, and the first display section, second display section, The control circuit controls the display so that the display changes in the order of the third display section, and the first display section displays at least a set time after the start of operation, and the first display section displays at least a set time. After a period of time has elapsed, the display on the second display section is taken, and the display on the second display section continues until the detection by the dryness level detector reaches the dryness level value of the drying mode selected by the drying mode selection circuit. Afterwards, the display on the third display section is taken, and the third display section is characterized in that it is controlled by the control circuit so that the set time is displayed.

According to this configuration, the following advantages can be expected.

(1) The display device, whose display moves according to the operating progress of the clothes dryer, has a first display section that displays the initial drying process and a second display section that displays the main drying process. Since the third display section that displays the dry finishing process is divided into sections, you can see at a glance what operation is being performed.

In particular, since the display is divided into three parts, the display is not complicated and it is easy to understand the transition status.

(2) Where the second display is displayed, the operating time varies depending on the drying load and the fabric of the clothing, but where the first display is displayed, heat drying is not possible. The operating time is constant with initial drying performed. Moreover, the operating time for this heating drying is usually about 10 minutes, which is a fairly short time compared to the entire drying process.

You may want to add items to dry after the dryer is running. When the display is on the first display, it has just started operation, so you can use it conveniently to add items to dry.

(3) Where the third display is displayed, the drying time is usually short, about 10 minutes, for final drying. You can immediately know when the operation will end.

Also, when you want to wear dry, warm clothes, you can easily make your request by turning off the clothes dryer at the third display and turning it on again a little before the time you want to wear it. It can be fulfilled. Unlike heating completely dry food again, you will waste less electricity.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a drying process diagram of an example for explaining the present invention, and FIGS. 2 to 5 are an overall cross-sectional view, a partial cross-sectional view, and an internal back view of an embodiment to which the present invention is applied, with the back cover removed. Figure 1 shows a block diagram of the control circuit section. 30... Control circuit section, 31... Humidity detector, 107
...Microcomputer, 108...Oscillation circuit, 1
09... Humidity detection circuit, 110... Comparison circuit, 111
...Drying mode selection circuit, 112...Display device.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A rotating drum in which clothes are stored, a blower device that supplies warm air to the rotating drum, a dryness level detector that detects the degree of dryness of the clothes, and a detection signal from the dryness level detector. A control circuit consisting of a microcomputer, etc. that takes in data and controls the operation of the clothes dryer, and a drying mode for the desired degree of dryness can be selected.
A clothes dryer comprising a drying mode selection circuit that inputs the selected drying mode value into the control circuit, and a display device that displays the operating progress of the clothes dryer according to instructions from the control circuit. A first display section that displays the process, a second display section that displays the main drying process, and a third display section that displays the finishing process of drying are divided and configured, and the operation progress of the clothes dryer is divided. The control circuit controls the display so that the display changes in the order of the first display section, second display section, and third display section according to the state, and furthermore, the first display section is controlled for at least a set time after the start of operation is displayed, and after the time spent on the display on the first display section has elapsed, the display on the second display section is taken. The drying mode is continued until the drying degree value of the drying mode is reached, after which the third display section is displayed, and the third display section is controlled by the control circuit so that the set time is displayed. A clothes dryer featuring: 2 In the invention described in claim 1,
A clothes dryer, characterized in that a humidity detector for detecting humidity of exhaust gas is used as the dryness level detector, and a light emitting diode is used as each of the display parts. 3. The clothes drying device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the rotating drum and the air blower are stopped upon expiration of a set time period during which the third display section is displayed. Machine.